Conjugation › Russian › Khotet'
Russian · Verb Tables · Advanced
хотеть (khotet') means "to want" in Russian. Present: я (ya) хочу (khochu), ты (ty) хочешь (khochesh'), он / она / оно (on / ona / ono) хочет (khochet), мы (my) хотим (khotim), вы (vy) хотите (khotite), они (oni) хотят (khotyat). Below: all 14 tenses we teach, with examples.
Imperfective verbs only — perfective verbs have no present tense. Stem + personal endings, expresses actions happening now, repeated/habitual actions, and general truths; also covers what English marks as the present continuous.
| я (ya) | хочу (khochu) |
| ты (ty) | хочешь (khochesh') |
| он / она / оно (on / ona / ono) | хочет (khochet) |
| мы (my) | хотим (khotim) |
| вы (vy) | хотите (khotite) |
| они (oni) | хотят (khotyat) |
Perfective/imperfective distinction lives in the stem, not the ending: infinitive stem minus -ть + -л (masculine), -ла (feminine), -ло (neuter), -ли (plural) — the same ending set for every verb in the language. Does not mark person, only gender and number; agreement is with the real subject's gender, so "I"/"you (singular)" have separate masculine/feminine forms. Imperfective past describes an ongoing, repeated or general past action, or one whose completion is not in focus.
| я (ya) | хотел / хотела (khotel / khotela) |
| ты (ty) | хотел / хотела (khotel / khotela) |
| он / она / оно (on / ona / ono) | хотел / хотела / хотело (khotel / khotela / khotelo) |
| мы (my) | хотели (khoteli) |
| вы (vy) | хотели (khoteli) |
| они (oni) | хотели (khoteli) |
Same -л/-ла/-ло/-ли endings, but on the perfective partner verb's stem (прочитать, поговорить); marks a single completed action or its result, the normal choice for narrating a sequence of finished events.
| я (ya) | захотел / захотела (zakhotel / zakhotela) |
| ты (ty) | захотел / захотела (zakhotel / zakhotela) |
| он / она / оно (on / ona / ono) | захотел / захотела / захотело (zakhotel / zakhotela / zakhotelo) |
| мы (my) | захотели (zakhoteli) |
| вы (vy) | захотели (zakhoteli) |
| они (oni) | захотели (zakhoteli) |
Future of быть (буду, будешь, будет, будем, будете, будут) + imperfective infinitive. Used for ongoing, repeated or general actions in the future, or when the aspect of the action is not being emphasized.
| я (ya) | буду хотеть (budu khotet') |
| ты (ty) | будешь хотеть (budesh' khotet') |
| он / она / оно (on / ona / ono) | будет хотеть (budet khotet') |
| мы (my) | будем хотеть (budem khotet') |
| вы (vy) | будете хотеть (budete khotet') |
| они (oni) | будут хотеть (budut khotet') |
The perfective verb's present-tense-shaped conjugation (same endings as an imperfective present) automatically carries future meaning, because a perfective verb cannot describe an ongoing present. Used for a single completed action that will happen once.
| я (ya) | захочу (zakhochu) |
| ты (ty) | захочешь (zakhochesh') |
| он / она / оно (on / ona / ono) | захочет (zakhochet) |
| мы (my) | захотим (zakhotim) |
| вы (vy) | захотите (zakhotite) |
| они (oni) | захотят (zakhotyat) |
Past-tense form (either aspect) + the invariant, moveable particle бы. There is only one form for past, present and future hypotheticals — context and adverbs (тогда, сейчас, завтра) show the time meant. Used for hypothetical or unreal conditions (usually with если...бы), polite requests and suggestions, and wishes.
| я (ya) | хотел бы / хотела бы (khotel by / khotela by) |
| ты (ty) | хотел бы / хотела бы (khotel by / khotela by) |
| он / она / оно (on / ona / ono) | хотел бы / хотела бы / хотело бы (khotel by / khotela by / khotelo by) |
| мы (my) | хотели бы (khoteli by) |
| вы (vy) | хотели бы (khoteli by) |
| они (oni) | хотели бы (khoteli by) |
чтобы (что + бы fused into one word) + past-tense form, used after verbs of wanting, asking, ordering something for someone else to do (хочу, чтобы...), in purpose clauses ("in order that"), and after жаль/жалко for regrets. The subordinate verb always takes this чтобы + past shape regardless of the real time of the wish.
| я (ya) | чтобы я хотел / хотела (chtoby ya khotel / khotela) |
| ты (ty) | чтобы ты хотел / хотела (chtoby ty khotel / khotela) |
| он / она / оно (on / ona / ono) | чтобы он хотел / она хотела / оно хотело (chtoby on khotel / ona khotela / ono khotelo) |
| мы (my) | чтобы мы хотели (chtoby my khoteli) |
| вы (vy) | чтобы вы хотели (chtoby vy khoteli) |
| они (oni) | чтобы они хотели (chtoby oni khoteli) |
True 2nd-person imperative: stem + -й (after a vowel), -и (after a consonant, stressed), or -ь (after a single consonant, unstressed) for "you (singular)"; add -те for "you (plural/formal)". 1st-person plural uses давай(те) + infinitive ("let's..."); 3rd person uses пусть/пускай + the ordinary present or simple-future form (a jussive, not a true imperative). Positive commands typically use the perfective aspect for a single expected action.
| я (ya) | — |
| ты (ty) | — (no natural imperative; desire isn't commanded) |
| он / она / оно (on / ona / ono) | пусть хочет (pust' khochet) |
| мы (my) | — (unnatural) |
| вы (vy) | — (no natural imperative) |
| они (oni) | пусть хотят (pust' khotyat) |
не + the same imperative forms. Negative commands strongly prefer the imperfective aspect (не читай, not не прочитай), because a perfective negative imperative sounds like a warning against something happening accidentally rather than a plain prohibition.
| я (ya) | — |
| ты (ty) | — (unnatural) |
| он / она / оно (on / ona / ono) | пусть не хочет (pust' ne khochet) |
| мы (my) | — |
| вы (vy) | — (unnatural) |
| они (oni) | пусть не хотят (pust' ne khotyat) |
Dictionary form, ending in -ть (or -ти/-чь for some consonant stems). Used after modal words (нужно, можно, хочу) and other conjugated verbs, and as a verbal noun.
| хотеть (khotet') |
Imperfective verbs only: 3rd-person-plural present stem + -щий, declined like an adjective for gender, case and number (citation form is masculine nominative singular). Means "[who/that is] verb-ing".
| хотящий (khotyashchiy) |
Past-tense stem (either aspect) + -вший (or -ший after a consonant), declined like an adjective. Means "[who/that] verbed / has verbed".
| хотевший / захотевший (khotevshiy / zakhotevshiy) |
Imperfective only: present stem + -я (-а after ж/ш/ч/щ). Invariable; describes an action simultaneous with the main verb's ("while verb-ing").
| хотя (khotya) — lexicalized as the conjunction "although"; not used as a literal gerund in modern speech |
Perfective only: past stem + -в (-вши before a reflexive -сь, or -ши after a consonant). Invariable; describes a completed action prior to the main verb's ("having verbed").
| захотев (zakhotev) |
| Я хочу поехать в Москву. Ya khochu poyekhat' v Moskvu. | I want to go to Moscow. |
| Если бы он захотел, он бы позвонил. Yesli by on zakhotel, on by pozvonil. | If he wanted to, he would call. |
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